What’s cooking? A personality

Navneet Kaur

It is believed, the way one speaks, behaves and acts is a reflection of one’s inner persona. Interestingly, the way one cooks also reflects one’s personality. In fact, variegated nature of humans can be compartmentalised in categories, based on the way they indulge in cooking exploits! 

To begin with, there are cooks, who are by nature immensely loving and caring. You can see them bustling about in the kitchen, giving importance to all minutiae. Like true perfectionists, they are particular about the way carrots are kibbled, coriander leaves are chopped, coconut is grated, et al. 

Then there are lazybones with a slap-happy attitude, who go about culinary chores lackadaisically. As toiling is an anathema to them, they detest lingering in the kitchen precincts longer than required. Apparently, their work is shoddy, and it shows in overcooked sabzis, under-roasted parathas, semi-fried papads, etc. 

Next, there are incredibly clumsy cooks, who have in them the lethal combo of ‘diffidence’ and ‘ham-fisted’ quality. They are the veritable butterfingers. They spend more time in cleaning their created mess than cooking food.

Then there are the worrywarts, always on tenterhooks, worrying about the success/outcome of their culinary feat. Even after the food has been digested by everyone at home, they keep worrying if the salt wasn’t less in gravy…more chillies in chutney…rice overdone in pulao…. 

And then you have the uber-confident cooks, with loads of highfalutin attitude. They are obdurate, and not amenable to any suggestions. Nor do they get ruffled by unsavoury comments on their skills. Their mantra is: ‘This is how I cook. Take it or leave it.’ Perhaps what can’t be chewed, should be eschewed. 

Some veteran cooks seldom divulge secret culinary tips/recipes, since they loathe anyone outshining them in the culinary domain. 

The short-fused cooks are eternally in a tetchy mood. While they are rolling rotis, if the rolling pin or board is rattling more than normal, you can be sure the precursor would be a severe squabble with the spouse! God save the splinterable crockery around them! 

Finally, you have the innovative cooks, who unleash their unmitigated creative energy as they embark on culinary expeditions. They concoct recipes, like discovering the divine taste of Coke or Fanta when blended with some pani-puri masala, or the ethereal taste of roundels of raw tomatoes with a sprinkle of salt and rasam masala. As these folks rustle up delicacies, their fecund brains concurrently churn out new story ideas. Well, how else do you think this story originated?